


Zemblanity

by TheDevilLord



Category: Kings of Paradise (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2020-10-10 13:22:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20528723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDevilLord/pseuds/TheDevilLord
Summary: Zemblanity is the faculty of making unhappy, unlucky and expected discoveries by design





	1. Chapter One

Chapter One

_~Thirteen years ago~_

Humans were fascinating.

They were complicated yet at the same time, simple. They could be happy one second but sad the next. They would hide one emotion behind another, only allowing their true feelings to show when they thought no one else was watching. But he was always watching. It was intriguing, seeing how one could smile so brightly yet he would catch that split second when the true emotion would give away what they were really thinking. They taught him to hide his own feelings too, to hide his true intentions in front of everyone including those who were considered close to him.

"Well isn't this a rare sight."

Interrupted, Yosuke looked over his shoulder before putting on a smile. "Good morning, Kurosawa-senpai. It's nice to see you again." He turned his attention back to the main gate, watching as the new school year began with old friends greeting each other while new students were desperately trying to find a group to fit in. Yosuke remembered his first day of high school; he was not in the least bit nervous. He found it irritating, if he was being honest, to see girls pretending to be best friends despite meeting just five minutes ago. He hated seeing the guys competing with each other, trying to establish the alpha when none of them were. "Seems like the number of freshman is dropping each year."

Joining Yosuke by the window, Ryou looked down to the main gate too. "Not surprised," he commented. "The school's trying to get that number one spot, they're doing their best to have only the best. It's a surprise they kept you, seeing as you barely come to school."

"Ouch," Yosuke grinned, playfully putting his hand over his heart. "As long as I pass my exams, I doubt they would bother with me."

"Grades are one thing, but this school cares more about reputation and I think just your family name alone is more than enough to keep you here."

Although he kept the smile on his face, Yosuke felt the exact opposite deep inside. This school was notorious for two things: top grades in the country, and being the one private school every family with power and/or money sent their children. It would be a joke to say Yosuke got in with his grades; though not the best, they were definitely not good enough for this school. It was the Sagara name that got him in. It was a blessing and a curse.

~.~

Eating breakfast in silence was nothing out of the ordinary in their household. Sat at the table as a family, only the clinking of utensils and the turning of the newspaper could be heard as conversations were never their strength. No one attempted to start one, no one even tried to make eye contact with another. This was breakfast at the Kanemoto residence.

She hated it.

She hated the silence as if they were strangers. She hated the man seated at the top of the table, despite being her father. She hated the name Kanemoto, and she longed to get rid of it. Get rid of anything that had to do with the name.

Most would be proud to hold a name as prestigious as hers. The Kanemoto Corporations was an empire. Their name dated all the way back to the feudal era and despite all the changes over centuries, they managed to stay on top. With old money, the Kanemoto family was one of the most powerful, if not the most, in Asia. But none of that meant anything to her. It was not her money, not her power, not her business. She wanted nothing to do with it.

Her father, on the other hand, was obsessed with keeping in power. It was easy to gain, with the bluest blood around, but keeping that power was the challenge. Tyranny no longer worked in this day and age, which was why Kanemoto Junichiro went the other way. A positive image went the longest way in all surveys and studies done, therefore, he thrived on it. He played the philanthropist, the kind boss with only his employees in mind. Most importantly, he played the loving father. As his children, they too played along. The perfect child with the perfect smile, perfect looks, and of course, perfect grades.

But this play became an obsession.

"Stop it."

Getting ready for her first day of school after breakfast, nerves were starting to settle in. First days were always nerve wrecking for most, but especially for her. When you carried the name Kanemoto, it felt as if you were carrying the entire world on your shoulders. As she became more nervous, she kept rubbing, picking, and digging her nails into her left wrist. It was a nervous tic that she meant to change but never got round to. Fortunately, she had her nanny to slap her on the wrist to snap her out of it.

"Look at me." Smoothing her hair into place, Mai held her chin up and let out a small smile. "Just yesterday you were still a baby and now you're in high school. You'll be marrying someone tomorrow at this rate."

"I don't like this."

"But you have to."

The Kanemoto name was tough to carry, that much Mai understood. She watched the two Kanemoto children growing up, she took care of them. She watched as their innocence was slowly stripped away, their childhood falling apart bit by bit. She watched as their smiles faded away until they were two empty shells with strings attached and tugged at, as their father pleased. It hurt her to see them like this, but there was nothing she could do except be their shoulder to cry on.

Picking up her bag, she looked to Mai one last time and took in a deep breath. It would be hard for her to get through the day without abusing her wrist. Just standing by the main entrance waiting, she was tempted as her thumb was rubbing over a sore spot on her wrist. A hand grabbed hers before she could hurt herself any further and gave it a squeeze.

Dressed impeccably in his own uniform, her brother stood next to her and held her hand tight. He was two years younger but he was already a good head taller than she was. She squeezed his hand back, reassurance washing over her instantly. They were all each other had, besides Mai. No one understood them as they understood each other.

The car ride to school with her brother was fun. It was the small window throughout the day whereby they could be themselves. Here, they could tell jokes, share their concerns but most importantly, speak freely about anything and everything. Once a year, however, this car ride would be hijacked by their father. Each and every first day of school since they started nursery, he would drive them to school. There, his secretary would be taking pictures for the newspaper and social media in recent years. The loving father Kanemoto Junichiro, never missing a single first day. Albeit, loving just for one day.

"Minato, your grades dropped a little last year. I want you to try harder this year, do you understand? You are a Kanemoto, there is no way we would settle for anything other than first place. A classmate of yours nearly took your place."

"Yes, father. I'm sorry, father." A glare from his father was all he needed to realise his mistake. "I apologise, father."

"Misaki, you are going into high school now. This is the time for you to be making connections, especially at this school. Make friends, but only if they are worthwhile. I am sure you know what I mean. Do not do anything that will harm the Kanemoto name. I know it is high school and children nowadays are all about rebelling. You are, first and foremost, a Kanemoto."

"Yes father, I understand."

All the years before, since Misaki could remember, her father always gave a speech on their first days. They were always told to get the best grades, perform well in any and every activity they chose. However, they had to maintain a low profile. They were prohibited from being the most popular in school but rather, encouraged to do well and blend well. All those years, she did exactly that. She barely talked to her classmates, let alone made friends. This was the first year he had asked something different of her. She had to make friends, get connections that would help boost the Kanamoto Corporations further. She understood her father perfectly well, she was not quite sure how she would do it however.

Arriving at Misaki's school first, the father and daughter got out of the car together. Giving her brother's hand one last squeeze, she got out and stood next to her father while his secretary stood by the side with her phone pointed at them. Both faking a smile, it was soon dropped when the photo shoot was over.

"Remember what I told you," Junichiro said, stepping into the car. "Do not disappoint me, Misaki."

"Yes, father."

To be out of place was not unfamiliar for her.

The Kanemoto name was more than enough to displace her anywhere. When you were as well known as the Kanemoto's, there were only three type of people surrounding you. Those who worked for you, those who tried to use you, and those who avoided you like the plague. Her father's employees never paid much attention to either Kanemoto child; they had no time for them when they were too busy pleasing Junichiro. Over the years, she had seen plenty of women around her father, all of whom tried to become the next Mrs. Kanemoto. Or at the very least, tried to instigate rumours surrounding the possibility of a new Mrs. Kanemoto.

It was, however, the third category with which Misaki was most familiar. She remembered the first day of kindergarten like it was yesterday. Wearing the uniform with her hair tied neatly into pigtails, she was ecstatic to attend school for the first time. She could not sleep the night before, thinking about all the fun activities Mai told her about and all the friends she would make. Then her dreams were shattered when she was dropped off. There were plenty of fun activities but Misaki never got to experience any of them. None of the other children would talk to her, let alone play with her. She never understood why back then, but she knew why now.

Kanemoto was a fearsome name.

As soon as the parents knew a Kanemoto child was in the same kindergarten as their own children, they were quick to instruct their children not to get close with her. If anything were to happen to Misaki during play, none of them could afford to pay for their children's mistakes. Neither could they risk being the headline news.

Every year since then, it was the same. No one would dare to approach Misaki, no one was willing to sit anywhere near her in the classroom. Even the teachers were cautious with their every move around her. School soon became tiring for her; feeling alone despite being surrounded by many, eating lunch at one table by herself because no one else dared to share with her, yet she still had to put on a smile and pretend everything was alright.

High school was no different. From the moment her father's car pulled up by the gates to the moment she stepped into campus, whispers and murmurs rippled among the student body. All eyes were on her, following her as she walked across into the building.

_~Present Day~_

Her dress was stained in multiple places though she could not care less. Dresses like this were precious to most, considering the quality of materials used and how expensive they were. Many she had worn were branded, and/or exclusively made for her. When one carried the name of Kanemoto, one need not worry about what dress to wear to what event. Albeit, it was all meaningless to her. When women around the world would die for a designer dress, she simply wiped her dirty hands covered in soy sauce on the pure white dress.

She dipped her pinky into the sauce and tasted it before adding a teaspoon of sugar in. The counter was a mess; dirty bowls stacked together, used pans and pots littered all over the surface. Almost every utensil available in the kitchen had been used and thrown around the kitchen. Bringing the sauce to a boil, she turned the heat off and completed her last dish before setting up the dining table.

Having listened to her banging pots and dropping spatulas for the last two hours, Minato came down the stairs and stood by the entrance to the dining room. On the table was at least fifteen different dishes, all cooked and plated to perfection before they were presented. When one was stressed, they had a habit to fall into. Some would drink, some would sleep, some would even find solace in another human. His sister, however, found peace in cooking.

"Hey there," Misaki smiled, emerging from the other door leading to the kitchen with yet another dish in her hands. "Sit. Let's eat."

"You mean I'm eating. You never eat the food you cooked yourself."

"Just sit."

Sitting as instructed, Minato picked up a fork and started eating the food before him. He was skeptical before, when this habit of hers first started around the time she started high school. Misaki never set foot in the kitchen, she never had to. When she started making a ten course meal out of nowhere, it was only natural for one to question whether or not her food was edible. Surprisingly, they were. Since then, he had been her sole customer whenever she stress-cooked.

Watching her brother eat, Misaki only picked up the fork to play around with the food in front of her but never ate, as Minato had pointed out before. No other activity focused her mind like cooking did. The time that went into preparation, the actual cooking to the plating of the dish, it was numbing and before she knew it, she would have spent the last three hours making a banquet. But she never ate a single bite of her own food; she never had the appetite to.

"I saw him today."

"Him?"

"_Him_."

"Where?"

"The event tonight."

Pouring herself a glass of wine, Misaki took a sip and leaned back in her chair. There were no secrets between the siblings, since the day they could remember. Misaki knew everything about Minato and vice versa. He did not need details to know who she was talking about, neither did he need to be reminded not to mention the name of this particular individual. It took Misaki a long time to finally move on, he was not about to put her into that bad place again.

"Your dress is dirty," Minato pointed out.

"I know."

"Wasn't it a gift?"

In response, Misaki poured the remaining liquid in her glass, staining the pure white dress red. The dress was a gift, from a company known for making dresses exclusively for celebrities. Gifts from companies and brands were not a generous gesture, nor was it because they liked her particularly. They did, however, liked her name. Kanemoto Misaki, daughter of the CEO of Kanemoto Corporations, and world renown pianist. No amount of money would ever bring the kind of publicity just by having her wear a piece of theirs.

Standing up as she put her glass down, Misaki made her way out of the dining room. As she past Minato, she placed her hands on his head and gave the top of it a kiss. She lingered a little, taking in a deep breath of his shampoo scent. She then wrapped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze before leaving. It was unlike his sister; they were close and they never shied away from showing affection but never this much at once.

"You want me to eat all this by myself?"

"Ask the servants to join you. And while you're at it, get someone to clean the kitchen."

"You used it, you clean it."

"I cooked, you clean."


	2. Chapter Two

_~Present Day~_

Whether she was invited to a party to perform or simply to attend as a guest, they were all the same. People liked to think socialites led an exciting and extravagant life, even films and dramas glorified that idea. How wrong they were. Or well, partly.

As she looked around the room, there was no doubt this was an extravagant life. The party was held in banquet hall of a five-stars hotel, decorated entirely in rose gold. There were pillars all around the hall serving no purpose other than aesthetics. The waiters, all of whom young and good looking, were dressed in the latest collection of white shirt and black suit of a brand that ordinary people would only splurge on for special occasions like their wedding. Or their funeral. The food served were all finger food, yet prepared by a world class Michelin's chef. Every single person attending the party wore clothes that were either customised or limited edition, but would only wear once for this particular party. Herself included.

She wore a strapless royal blue floor length mermaid dress with Swarovski crystals embellished, coupled with a pair of Alexander McQueen's heels with her initials hand sewn on. Misaki was as extravagant as anyone present in this hall, if not the most.

Patrolling the parametres of the hall, she watched the socialites. She never understood the art of people watching, she always thought it was just a nicer term for stalking or being creepy. Somewhere down the road, however, she found herself enjoying the activity. It was intriguing, more so than anything else, to watch people from far and notice the minute details that they thought no one would notice. She came to find at such parties, that none of these people were who they bragged themselves to be. That diamond necklace Mrs. Whoever showed off? Her husband did not win that at an auction. Not so much as bought it at a no name boutique for a small fraction of the price she thought it was.

"Your wine."

"Thanks."

Joined by Minato, Misaki finally stopped her patrol and took a sip of the red wine handed to her. Parties like this were never to the Kanemoto siblings' liking but they were always forced to attend by their father. It was one of the best way to sell the happiness they pretended to have. What better way to show how dedicated Junichiro was as a father, bringing his children along to spend more time with them. The reality was, they were nothing more than the rose gold pillars used for aesthetics.

"Misaki? Minato?"

"Mr. Nakahara."

"Are you here in place of your father?"

"Yes sir. He's not feeling well today so we offered to come in his place."

Lies.

If there was one thing a Kanemoto was good at, it would be lying. Junichiro lied about the life he led, the happy family he had, and the perfect children. Misaki learnt too, to lie through her teeth with a bright smile. Her father was not ill at home, he simply did not want to attend the party. However, to keep his reputations, he sent his children to entertain. They were upgraded from decorations to escorts. Even without her father here, these events were insufferable.

"You've always been a good daughter to your father, Misaki," Mr. Nakahara smiled, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. Minato tensed a little, seeing the contact but Misaki grabbed him by the wrist and gripped hard. "It was nice to see you two."

"Why did you stop me? He touched you."

"He's one of the good guys, Minato," Misaki said, putting her hand on her brother's cheek. "And even if he did touch me inappropriately, we cannot do anything about it. We're here in the name of father today. You know his rule."

"Keep low, stay low."

"Exactly. Except, this evening is about to become very interesting."

Following his sister's gaze, Minato frowned a little. Misaki was never one to follow celebrities. In fact, if you were to quiz her right now on the trending stars or even pop songs, she would not be able to get a single right. Which was why he was confused as to why she was suddenly taking an interest in Inoue Junko, the model.

Misaki was not the hero type, that much she was certain. As a child, she had always been passive. If someone was being bullied, she stood by the side and watched. It was just the way she was brought up. Getting involved in situations that did not benefit them was never the Kanemoto way. She did not want to be a hero either. She did not know the woman Junko humiliated at the previous event. She thought it was shameful that Junko would use her social status over the woman, accusing her of something that was so painfully obvious her own fault. She could have done a better job.

She was patient. She kept her eyes on Junko the entire night, waiting for the perfect opportunity. When Junko finally walked off by herself, Misaki saw her chance. She followed after the model into the bathroom. As luck would have it, they were the only two in there. She stood by the sinks, looking into the mirror while waiting for Junko to emerge to execute her plan. Coming out from the stall a few moments later, Junko stood next to Misaki by the sinks.

"Did it feel nice? You know, after bullying that secretary."

"What are you talking about?"

"It was only two nights ago, surely you haven't forgotten already?"

"She deserved it. Why? Are you going to avenge her?"

"Of course not. I don't even know who she is."

As she spoke, Misaki walked over to the door and locked it so no one else could come in. She let her hair down and messed it up, then she tore her dress down the side and broke off the heel of one shoe. Stepping on the train of Junko's dress, Misaki grabbed the other woman by her hair only to be pushed off by a very confused Junko.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Giving you a lesson on tasting your own medicine."

Unlocking the door, Misaki dropped to the floor and let out a blood curdling scream over and over, holding her left wrist as if she was hurt. Within seconds, tears were streaming down her cheeks and she looked so distraught that anyone who walked in now would instantly believe that she was the victim. Before Junko even had time to register what was going, the door to the bathroom burst open and security was rushing in.

Both women were hysterical. Misaki refused to let anyone near her, holding her wrist while crying in pain. Security was desperately trying to explain that they were there to help though nothing was calming her down. Junko, on the other hand, was frantically trying to explain the situation. That Misaki was acting and none of this was her fault. With Misaki's screams and cries, however, it was hard to hear anyone speak and they were both escorted out to a private room each where security had notified Minato. As soon as they walked through the door, Minato received his sister in his arms and held her tight.

"Would you like for us to call the police, Miss Kanemoto?"

"Yes," Minato replied.

"No, don't," Misaki said softly. "It was just a misunderstanding, I don't want to make a scene out of it."

"Are you sure, Misaki?"

This was unlike his sister, Minato thought. They had no relations with Junko; they did not know who she was, nor did they deal with her professionally. In all reality, this kind of conflict should never happen between the two. That was when Minato remembered what Misaki said just before she disappeared: _this evening is about to become very interesting_. Could his sister be faking like Junko said?

Even as he stared into her eyes and wiped away her tears, Minato could not tell if Misaki was pretending. He knew everything there was to know about his sister. Or at least that was what he thought. He could not quite put his finger on when, but there was a time when he felt that Misaki was slowly becoming someone unfamiliar. The subtle change in the way she spoke, the way she acted was so minute that he never noticed, not even now.

"I just want to go home, Minato," she whispered. "If the police get involved, we'd spend the whole night at the station and I really don't want that. Please...let's just go home."

Despite going against every fibre of his being, Minato nodded in agreement. As protective as he was, Misaki was right. Once the police were involved, they would be at the station all night and the last thing he wanted was for his sister to be further traumatised. Not to mention the media; nothing about a Kanemoto ever went unreported. If their father were to know about this incident, they would not be let off with just a simple lecture.

"Alright. You stay here, I'll say the goodbyes and I'll get the car around."

"Thank you. You're the best brother."

"I'm your only brother."

"That's why you're the best."

Leaving his suit jacket behind for her, Minato went back to the event hall. Misaki slipped her arms through the sleeves and brushed her hair out, waiting a few seconds before opening the door. The damsel in distress act was dropped since there was nobody around. She took her shoes off, holding them in her hand as she made her way down the hallway and to the elevator. She got on, pressed for the lobby and just as the door was about to close, a hand caught the door and someone slipped in with her.

One look was all it took.

One glance at the stranger who joined her and Misaki instantly knew who he was. She did not know he would be here, but then again, she never knew when and where he would be. Stepping aside to the back corner, she pretended not to know who he was though she could feel an intense gaze on her.

"How's your wrist?"

"Fine."

"You're a better actress than you are a pianist."

"Excuse me?"

"You were never a liar. Was it fun? Putting on that little show."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

This was so him. After all these years, he never changed. He was always playing games but by his own rules that were constantly changing and confusing. They used to be fun, refreshing even. Especially since his games were never meant for her. Or so Misaki thought. No one was ever exempted from his games, not even her. Everyone had to play the Sagara Yosuke game and she was in one of them right now. No longer, however, should Misaki play into his hands.

Slamming her palm on the stop button, Misaki looked Yosuke in the eyes without a single change in her expression. She was naive all those years ago, eating up every word he said. She used to believe that Sagara Yosuke was the angel sent to save her from her miserable life. All those years ago, she would look into his eyes and see a future together. All she saw now, however, were lies written all over. Lies that she should have seen from the beginning.

"Well that was a tad aggressive," Yosuke grinned. "Feisty. Different from what I'm used to."

"I'm not the girl you used to know anymore," Misaki stated.

"Is that why you staged that little performance?" he asked, stepping closer but she did not budge an inch. "Misa to the rescue?"

"Don't call me that."

"Then what should I call you?"

She imagined this scenario plenty of times. Not this specific scenario but one where she would see him again. She imagined she would be angry, lashing out at him for all that he had done to her. She imagined there would be tears and perhaps some hitting on her part. There was none of that, however. She was oddly calm, though a little irritated at his interrogation game.

Ever since he saw her again, Yosuke could not stop thinking about Misaki. How she still kept her hair long but put waves in them now. How she still looked like the high school student he met, yet matured in so many ways. The look in her eyes, however, was different. They no longer held that hope she had, that everything would get better. Her smile was no longer genuine either, just plastered on her face to please others. The dress, the shoes, and the jewelry, none of it screamed Misaki. She was no longer the Misaki he knew.

"You were there, were you not? The event two days ago, where that model bullied a secretary."

"You think I avenged that secretary? I don't even know who she is."

"Then why did you go through the effort?"

"To teach her a lesson."

"What lesson would that be?"

Turning her back on Yosuke, Misaki pressed the button to get the elevator going again. "That she shouldn't pull social status over others. Not when there are people with more power." As if on cue, the elevator finally arrived at the lobby and the door opened. Without another look at Yosuke, Misaki stepped out and headed for the entrance where she waited for Minato.

The cool air hit her harder than she anticipated and as she took in a deep breath, she found herself leaning against the glass. She was overcame by emotions for unknown reasons and before she knew it, she was crying. Tears kept streaming down her cheeks no matter how hard she tried to keep them in and wiping them away. Her breathing was getting heavier and heavier by the second, the feeling of being overwhelmed unstoppable.

Was this Yosuke?

She thought she could handle seeing him again. Her own mind tricked her into thinking she was fine after all these years but the truth was, she was not. There was no anger involved but there was plenty of misery. As his face flashed in her mind, she was reminded of how happy they used to be back in high school and how that happiness never belonged to her in the first place. When it all crashed and burnt, she was the one left in the rubble trying to pick up the pieces. She was the one left with all the scars when he went on with life as if she was never a part of it to begin with.

Having said all his goodbyes, Minato rushed out of the event hall. Without Misaki, he felt out of place facing all those people. He was born into this world but he never felt like it was his place. Years of training perfected his smile and every word he said, however, making it seem like he was one of them. He rushed not so he could be with his sister, he rushed so he could get out of there and away from them.

However, as he arrived at the lobby, he spotted Misaki wearing his suit jacket just outside the building through the glass. Something was wrong.

Misaki was doubled over, clutching onto Minato's suit jacket like it was a life jacket. Every noise around her suddenly became amplified and despite being outside, it felt as if the world was closing in on her. Running out to his sister, Minato made the mistake of touching her. Misaki swatted his hand away while stepping away from him though she stepped on her torn dress and fell backwards instead.

He had seen this many times before. The first time Misaki came home from an event with their father without Minato, she did not make it into her bedroom before breaking down. Almost every time before her final exams, she would have at least two attacks. A few shoes thrown at him and being screamed at right in the face, he had to learn how to help her through a panic attack. And this right now, was a panic attack. Whatever triggered it did not matter, guiding her out of it did.

"Misaki, look at me. Look, who am I?" Holding his sister's face with his hands, Minato made sure that she could not see anything else except for him. Focusing on one thing helped her to eliminate any other possible triggers.

"Mi-Minato..."

"You're going to be okay. I'm right here," he said softly. "I'm going to take my hands away but I want you to keep your eyes on me, okay?"

"Okay."

As he pulled his hands away, Minato kept his eyes on Misaki, as she did him. He moved slowly, careful not to startle her and reached into the pocket of his jacket to pull out a pair of earphones. Every time Misaki's eyes flickered elsewhere, Minato would make a soft clicking noise with his tongue, getting her attention back. He plugged the earphones into his phone and put on the playlist he made for her. Instant relief washed over Misaki the second the playlist started.

"Let's go home."


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

_~Present Day~_

Pissed was an understatement.

What she was feeling, there was no word in any language that could describe it. All her life, those around her would get on their knees just to do her bidding. She was born to be doted on, to be served. Not to be humiliated in public by some third rate pianist and accused of something so fabricated that even Hollywood would never use as a short scene in anything.

Although no charges was pressed on Misaki's request, Junko's life had been turned upside down since the fiasco. Words traveled fast in the upper class society after all. She was no longer invited to parties and events, the interview schedules a week from now was suddenly postponed indefinitely, and all brands she was the face of terminated their contracts with her; she had never seen posters being taken down and replaced so quickly.

She did not understand, however, why she was being subjected to such treatment. In her world, they were in no shortage of fiasco. This week, two actresses could be reported fighting over a man. Next week, a CEO could be found having an affair with four different women. Drama was all around her and Junko was not the first to cause a scene. Albeit, it was not her first time causing a scene either though it was the first time she was not seen as the victim. Who was that pianist and why did everyone choose to believe her? In an attempt to save her image, Junko convinced her father to throw a charity ball to showcase her generosity and kindness.

~.~

"Are you sure about this, Misaki?"

"No, but I don't have a choice."

When the invitation for a charity ball hosted by the Inoue's came in the mail, Misaki tossed it into the trash. She never had a interest in these affairs, and she definitely lost what little interest she might have when she saw the name Inoue Junko. Misaki was not afraid, she just did not have the patience nor the time to play along with whatever game the model came up with this time. Unfortunately for Misaki, Junko was smart this time.

A day before the ball, Misaki was called to her father. He was sent an invitation, personally delivered by Junko's father. While Junichiro had knowledge of what happened between his daughter and Junko, he never reprimanded Misaki for her actions because she never brought shame to the family. If anything, her situation was in favour of the Kanemoto name. Now that her father was involved, there was no escaping for her. Whether or not she liked it, she had to attend the ball. And while wearing an emerald green sleeveless empire line dress, a professional fake smile plastered on her face with her arm in her father's, Misaki made an appearance at the ball.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary arriving at the venue. They were photographed, as always. They were escorted into the hall, as always. And always, Misaki shadowed her father while he made his round of greeting partners and friends. Half an hour into the ball, she was starting to think perhaps this was a genuine event when she was approached by Junko. She was greeted with a smile though Misaki could detect a smug instantly.

"I am so glad you could make it. I know we set off on the wrong foot and I was hoping we could make up here."

"What's your game here?" Misaki asked, her voice low enough only for Junko to hear.

"No game. I sincerely want to apologise for what happened."

Despite genuine sounding sincerity, Misaki was not falling for Junko's act. Nobody else knew what happened in the bathroom, though everybody believed every word Misaki told them. Junko, however, knew she had nothing to apologise for. Misaki was the one who tore her own dress, broke her own shoes, and pretended she was attacked. If Junko was anything Misaki came to know of, she would not be apologising for something she did not do. She had something up her sleeve and she was planning on unleashing it this evening.

"I do, however, have a favour I would like to ask of you." When Misaki did not respond, Junko continued. "As this is a charity ball, we've decided to provide some services for the guests who donated. While we have a variety to choose from, many guests heard you were coming and asked if you could play the piano for them. This is a list of songs they requested."

Almost instantly, Junko was baring her claws. She did have something up her sleeve, but she just could not keep it in long enough. Taking the list from Junko, Misaki could not help the scoff. A simple glance of the list, and she could tell that the other woman Googled 'World's most difficult piano piece' as she wrote the list. Knowing it was a trap of some sort, Misaki decided to entertain the idea.

"If you could just give me perhaps half an hour to look over the scores for these?"

"How about fifteen minutes? I wouldn't want our dear guests to be waiting too long, you see."

"Of course."

"I'm glad you understand."

Excusing herself, Misaki went to one corner and looked up the score for each of the piece on the requested list. The pieces were complicated but to a skilled pianist like herself, they were not hard with practice. Misaki did not see a problem with most of them as they were pieces she played before, though there were pieces she never touched in the mix. Junko's intention was becoming clear; she did not want to hurt Misaki, not as much as she wanted to humiliate her. She understood where the plan was headed for though she had a feeling Junko did not think it quite through. It would make more sense to have Misaki play these pieces on the violin as humiliation, rather than giving her one advantage: the piano.

Walking over the piano positioned right in the middle of the hall, Misaki sat on the stool and almost immediately, all commotion in the hall stopped and they were slowly gathering around her. Junko gave her a brief introduction and explanation before stepping aside to leave her the stage. As the applause quieted down, Misaki placed her hands on the keys and took in a deep breath.

She would be lying if she said she was not nervous before every performance. No matter how big or small, it was always nerve wrecking. The beginning was always the hardest, the first note she had to play. She remembered her first official performance, she was so nervous that her hands were shaking and she ended up playing the wrong note. She became the laughing stock that night, and her father was not pleased. She learnt from that mistake, however. Before she went on stage, she had a little ritual; texting Minato, reciting her favourite poem twice, and telling herself that Chopin was looking over her.

There was no ritual tonight.

It was the first time she did not feel nervous at all. If Junko's goal was to humiliate her in front of everyone, Misaki was not going to let her have the pleasure at all. Taking another look at the list, she started with the piece right at the top. From the first note to the last, she was confident. Once she finished the first piece, she moved on to the next, and the next, and the next. She was halfway through the list by the time she finished the pieces she was familiar with. She could feel Junko's death glare somewhere in the crowd and could not help the smirk in response. As she moved on to the less familiar, and some harder, pieces, she was approached by Junko with disappointed look on her face (though it was satisfying for Misaki).

"Hi, you're playing beautifully but some guests are starting to complain that they can't have a conversation with all this noise going on."

"But I thought they were the ones who requested for me to play?"

"Well, now they don't want to hear it."

"I have two pieces left, I'll be done soon."

"I said, stop!"

Even as they spoke, Misaki continued playing. It was a mistake, in hindsight, though she did not anticipate Junko's reaction. Throwing a tantrum was expected of the spoiled model, but slamming the fallboard while Misaki was still playing was not. She reacted quick enough to save her right hand though her left wrist took quite a hit. Silence blanketed over the hall as no one knew how to react. Clutching her left wrist in pain, the only thing on Misaki's mind was to get medical attention. Besides her brother, her hands were her everything.

Standing up to leave, Misaki was stopped by Junko who grabbed her left wrist roughly and yanked at it, bringing tears to Misaki's eyes from the pain. Seeing the tears, however, infuriated the other woman further.

"Stop pretending! Show everyone what a fraud you are! Tell them you framed me last time! Tell them!"

"Junko!"

"Daddy! Look, she's doing it again! She's pretending to be hurt so she can blame me again!"

"Let go of my daughter."

Junichiro forced Junko to let go of Misaki though she refused to and tightened her grip, causing her more pain. Eventually, with the help of Junko's father, they were separated. The pain was so numbing that Misaki barely knew what was going on, only that she was taken away as soon as she was free. Sat in a small room, Misaki was left alone while the hotel staff went to get a first aid kit. She looked down at her hand, trying to move her fingers but no matter how hard she tried, they did not.

Many thoughts ran through her mind; how this would be the end of her career, how her father would get angry at her for being involved with Junko. Most importantly, however, she could only think of how this was her fault. She wanted to teach Junko a lesson, that she should not mess with power and status when she was not the one with complete power and status. So what if Misaki stood above Junko in society? So what if everyone would blindly believe her over the model? None of that meant anything when Junko could slam a fallboard on her hands and basically end her life. She was playing with fire, knowing perfectly well that it could burn her no matter how much she thought she knew about it.

There was a knock on the door and Junichiro walked in, closing the door behind him. Misaki looked up, though she could not read her father's expression. This was not the first time Misaki caused a scene in public, she knew what would happen next without reading her father. The last time something to this scale happened, she was sent overseas to study so as to be kept out of the spotlight and to ensure that Junichiro kept his image.

"Well done."

Her father's words were surprising, but the hand on the shoulder was telling Misaki she did not hear him wrong. "Well done? I don't understand, father...I messed up. I caused a scene. I brought shame to the family. The Kanemoto name-"

"-Is fine. You caused a scene, but you were not the instigator."

"You're not mad?"

"Under any other circumstances, I would be," Junichiro admitted. "But I've been looking for a reason to stop funding Inoue's campaigns, just never had a good reason to. Your last incident with Junko came at the right time but it still wasn't good enough. Tonight, however, was perfect. His daughter assaulted mine, and I can stop his funding. And everyone is siding with us."

Although relieved she would not be punished, Misaki could not help but feel disappointed with her father. The only reason why he sided with her this time was because it benefited him somehow. He did not care what she did to Junko, nor did he care about what Junko did to her. He could not care less about her throbbing wrist. This was her first time hearing a real praise from her father, and it was at the cost of her hand and her career.

"How's the wrist?" Junichiro asked.

"It's alright," Misaki lied, rotating her wrist while keeping the pain to herself.

"Good. But I'd like you to go to the hospital still. Get every doctor looking at it and have them describe the worst possible outcome. I want the Inoue's to suffer the consequences."

"Yes, father."

* * *

It did not take long for the headlines to start coming out.

_Model freaked out on pianist!_

_Kanemoto Junichiro to stop funding Inoue over daughter dispute!_

_No doubt, father of the year!_

Misaki scrolled through the articles on her phone, not clicking into any of them to read. She must say, however, that she was impressed. It was only an hour ago when Junko had her little break down and injured Misaki, but almost every news outlet already caught wind and published multiple articles covering the news; two pages of search worth. Junichiro would most definitely be delighted to see these articles, but Misaki felt like throwing up just reading the headlines for each of them.

She had no sympathy for Junko. In fact, she felt she deserved the karma. But the idea of her father using her misfortune for his own gain, it made Misaki sick to the stomach. His only concern was how he would be presented in this incident, and the benefits that came with it. Junichiro got what he wanted, at the cost of Misaki's wrist though he could not care less. He did not accompany her to the hospital, continuing the act of a good father as the media had painted him as. Albeit, that did not stop him from benefiting further. Under her father's orders, Misaki sat in the public waiting room of the hospital so she could be photographed like an animal at the zoo by the tabloids. He wanted her to seem as pitiful as possible, reining in all the sympathies.

In the ER waiting room, however, no one paid her any attention. The nurse registered her and simply told her to take a seat without even looking up from her screen. Those waiting for their turn did not have time to care about the world renowned pianist sat next to them.

Sitting about two rows in front of her was a father with a little girl in his arms. Her eyes were red from crying but her father was patiently rocking her, singing softly in her ears. It was a simple interaction, one that was expected of any parent, but jealousy was building up in Misaki. Not once growing up was she ever held so lovingly by her father. Neither was Minato. When they were sick, it was Mai who took care of them and by extension, the servants around the house. When they hurt themselves, Junichiro would look at them indifferently and told them that a true Kanemoto would never let anyone see them cry. Weakness was never accepted in their household, not unless it was to bring them benefits.

Her attention was brought away from the father and daughter when she felt someone sitting next to her. A boy, no older than eight years old, looked up at Misaki with a cheeky grin. His right arm was in a cast and sling, and he had some bandages down the right side of his face.

"Hi," he smiled.

"Hi there," Misaki smiled right back. "What happened to you?"

"Accident. I fell down the slide at the playground."

"Ouch, sounds painful."

"Yeah, it was. But I have a cast now. I'm going to be so cool in school." Misaki could not help the chuckle at that comment. If only she had his positive outlook when she was his age. He scooted a little closer to Misaki, looking up at her with his big eyes. "You're really pretty," he whispered. "My dad has been staring at you. So was that nurse. He crashed into someone just now."

Looking over to where the boy was pointing, Misaki gave his father a smile. The man was embarrassed, looking the other way as soon as they made eye contact. She was feeling miserable, feeling sorry for herself just two minutes ago, but the little boy's innocent candor lifted her mood instantly. He sat with her for the next twenty minutes while waiting for his medicine, telling her about his school and his classmates, telling her about his fall that happened earlier in the night. Misaki's mind was completely taken off her own night, speaking to the boy. She even felt a little disappointed when he was called by his father.

"I've got to go," he said, jumping off the chair. He was about to leave when he stopped himself, turning back and kissed Misaki's hurt wrist. "Mummy says that makes the pain go away."

"Thank you," Misaki smiled, sliding off the chair and was squatting next to the boy. She took his right hand in hers gently and stroked each of his fingers while chanting. "One rainbow, two sugar, three candies, four puppies, and five kisses." She ended the odd spell with a kiss to each of his fingers. "Now you are healed."

The boy happily bounced back to his father, turning around to give Misaki an enthusiastic wave until he was completely out of sight. Suddenly feeling empty, Misaki returned to her seat and let out a soft sigh. Those who did not live her life envied her, but she wondered if they would still feel the same if they knew how lonely this life was.


	4. Chapter Four

_~Present Day~_

When she finally got to see the doctor, she was told she had nothing to worry about. She was given a cast, mostly for show, and was sent home. In the car, Misaki was oddly quiet. Usually, she would ask about the driver, how his wife and children were doing. Or, she would request for some music. Tonight, however, she was sat in the backseat, staring at the cast on her hand and looked as if she was lost in life. The chauffeur kept quiet, however, knowing that it was not his place to say anything. Even when Misaki was the one to make conversation every time, it did not mean he had permission to meddle in her life.

Arriving at home, Misaki was still in the same state as before. Her eyes were not focused on anything and her mind was elsewhere. Rushing to greet Misaki at the door, Minato was ignored as his sister walked right past him without even an acknowledgement. She went straight for the kitchen, putting on her apron and started taking ingredients out until the island counter top was covered.

She chopped, she minced, she boiled, and she fried.

In about one and a half, almost two hours, she made enough food to feed an entire army. The whole time, Minato stood by the side watching her. It was the way she brushed him off that concerned him. It would not be the first time Misaki came home in a mood and started cooking, but it was the first time she looked so tense after. Then, the next bizarre thing happened.

Misaki never ate the food she cooked. _Never_. She never had the appetite to, or so she told him. Yet, there she was, sat in her seat at the table with a fork in hand and digging into every dish, stuffing her mouth. She went from dish to dish, polishing off every plate. Before she finished chewing, she was already shoving another bite into her mouth. Minato sat down next to her, a frown plastered on his face as he watched her. He knew better than to stop Misaki. Not that he knew how to, he had never seen her like this.

"Misaki? Misaki, stop. Are you listening to me? Misaki, stop it!"

Clutching her fork tightly in her fist, Misaki was still not looking at Minato. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and Minato wiped them away. Their lives were not easy as their father's children, but Misaki was always tough. She had days when she too would be beaten down but she held herself together always for him. If it were not for her, Minato would not be here. This was the first time he was seeing her so vulnerable, so fragile.

Misaki still had the blank look in her eyes, tears pouring non-stop no matter how much he wiped. All of a sudden, she dropped the fork and grabbed Minato's hand, looking him in the eyes for the first time since she came home. She pressed his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes, breaking down completely.

"I can't do this anymore, Minato...I can't."

* * *

_~Thirteen years ago~_

The opening ceremony for the new school year was a nightmare.

It did not take long for news to travel around the campus and before long, almost everyone knew a Kanemoto enrolled by the ceremony. It did not take long for them to realise that it was her. Stood in the middle of her schoolmates, Misaki had to endure the stares and whispers. They would never dare to say anything to face though she had quite a good idea of what they could be whispering behind her back. It was part of human nature to find flaws in others so one would feel better about themselves. If you were not a Kanemoto, well at least you were thinner than Misaki. Her nose looked too artificial, she did not carry that atmosphere of blue blood, she could study overseas but instead, came here because she must have bad grades. It became a game for Misaki to figure out what they were saying.

Dismissed after the ceremony, the students were heading to their classrooms. All around her, friends were already made as some giggled together while others made promises to meet at lunch. Misaki walked alone. She was avoided like a plague; no smiles, no eye contact, and no one dared to even come within a metre of her. Walking into the classroom, the entire room hushed at her presence and their eyes followed her as she walked up to an empty desk.

"Hi!" The first person to talk to her was her neighbour, a girl with bangs and ponytail, and the brightest smile Misaki had ever seen. It was so infectious that Misaki smiled too, for the first time in a while. Was this her chance at making a friend? "Looks like we're neighbours," the girl smiled. "I'm Sato Nako, nice to meet you."

"Kanemoto Misaki."

At the mention of her name, Nako recoiled her hand as Misaki reached out for a shake. In a split second, reality hit her hard. She was only nice because she had no idea who Misaki was. Just like everyone else, the name Kanemoto put her off and Misaki was willing to bet her entire fortune that Nako was regretting having spoken to her. She would be offended if Misaki had not been used to interactions like this. Her entire life was just interactions like so.

Having years of practice, Misaki was quite familiar with what to do during lunch time. Her father was clear on wanting her to make connections but how could she when everyone was avoiding her? She bought a bun from the school's store and went on a hunt for a quiet place, somewhere she could take break from all the stares and whispers that were not going to stop any time soon.

She climbed the stairs up to the roof, trying her luck with the door. Students were never allowed up on the roof but Misaki was never bothered; there were some perks to her family name after all. Fortunately, the door was unlocked and Misaki stepped onto the empty roof. She found a shaded corner and sat herself down to eat lunch. If her father would to see her now, he would be disappointed. He would be furious. There were only so little time she had away from him however, and she would like to do something for herself every so often. She could make friends another day, Misaki just wanted to get through the day peacefully.

"You're not allowed up here. I'm afraid I have to report you."

A voice startled her and Misaki scrambled onto her feet, bowing in the direction of where the voice came from, thinking it was a teacher. A figure came into view but they were wearing a uniform too. The tie, however, indicated they were from an older year. She was greeted with a mischievous smile belonging to a tall and handsome guy as he approached her.

"I am sorry, I will leave now."

"You took me seriously?" he asked, catching her by the elbow. "No one's allowed up here, but I won't tell if you won't."

Misaki pulled away from him, her brows knitted into a frown. Was he just playing with her? She tried looking in his eyes for a clear indication of his intentions but she could not see anything in them. They said the eyes were the windows to one's soul, but she could not see into his mind at all. He had a smile on his face though there was something not quite right about it.

"Have you fallen in love with me already? That was quick."

"Excuse me?"

"Wow, you are easy to tease," he chuckled. "Finally, someone interesting in this place. What's your name?"

"Misaki."

"Misaki...who?"

She was hesitant, he could tell straight away. After years of observing people, he became good at catching the minute expressions they tried to hide. She was not good, however, at hiding her expressions; she wore everything on her sleeves. She was a rare type, one that he always thought would be fun to experiment with. Who knew he would meet one here in school?

"Kanemoto. Kanemoto Misaki."

It came as a little surprise, hearing her family name. It was a household name in Japan, one that even newborn babies would know about. He had been hearing the news of a Kanemoto in school all day and wanted to meet them. A connection like a Kanemoto was almost like having the key to the universe, and that was exactly what he needed. Never did he think he would meet her on the roof so randomly. Was this serendipity? Was that a word?

"Well, Kanemoto Misaki, nice to meet you. I'm Sagara Yosuke."

Her reaction was priceless. With a name like Kanemoto, most would have made a fuss and all day long, that was what everyone did. His classmates were excited to see what a Kanemoto looked like while others were already spreading rumours about someone they had yet to meet. Some guys bragged about how they would date the Kanemoto girl while the girls gossiped about what plastic surgery she supposedly had done. He could only imagine the type of day she had been through. So for Yosuke to just casually look over that fact must have came as a shock to her.

And shock it was for Misaki.

For the first time in her life, she was seen as a separate entity to her family. He did not seem to care about her family, simply asking just to know her name. It was the first time someone did not recoil in fear, the first time someone treated her like they would anyone else.

"Tough day, huh?" Yosuke asked, sitting down in Misaki's corner and petted the spot next to him for her to sit. Misaki was silent as she sat down, keeping a small distance between them. She was still not quite used to social interactions. No one taught her how to make friends. "First days are always tough," Yosuke said. "I remember my first day of high school, I was terrified."

"You were?"

"Of course I was! I was afraid they would find out about my grades and kick me out."

Misaki let out a giggle though she stopped herself the next second with a hand over her mouth. Was that a laugh? She was not sure herself because she did not laugh much. There were times when she laugh with Minato but never with anyone else. This was all so new and strange to her. Like she was learning how to be human. "I was scared. I still am. I'm not good at making friends and everyone is too afraid to approach me. You're the first person to really talk to me."

"I know how you feel. I mean, Sagara is not as big a name as Kanemoto and I have to deal with fakers here and there. I can't imagine what it's like for you."

No one ever understood how Misaki felt. Her brother did, but they lived the same life. It was often reported how jealous people were of her life, how she was fortunate to be born with a silver spoon and never had to worry about life. If they knew the truth, would they still be jealous? Or would they be thankful? Even those living in her world would not understand what Misaki went through. They took freedom for granted, freedom that Misaki would never have. They were the ones everyone should be

Meeting Yosuke here was like meeting an angel, like her prayers had been heard and she was sent a friend to pull her out of the dark corners. Finally, she had someone in her life who treated her like a human, who understood her. Was this what it was like to have a friend?

"Can we...meet for lunch tomorrow?" Misaki asked. "I'll bring lunch. If you'd like. It's okay if you don't. We don't have to."

"You don't need to bring lunch," Yosuke said. The disappointment on Misaki's face brought a smile to his; it was entertainment at its best. "But we can still meet for lunch," he continued. Instantly, she brightened up and he laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

~_Present Day_~

Laying in bed, Misaki had her eyes closed but she could not sleep. She was tucked into bed by Minato after her breakdown. Once she was alone, however, she could not stop thinking about the day she met Yosuke. There were so many times throughout the years when she thought how different her life would be if she never met Yosuke. How different it would be if she continued the relationship.

Thinking of their first meeting was also reminding Misaki of Mai. She sat up in her bed and turned the bedside lamp on, picking up a framed photo on her nightstand. Before she graduated from high school, Mai passed away. When Misaki came home happy that day, Mai was so overwhelmed that she started crying. She made a feast that night to celebrate her successful first day, and making her first friend. Mai was the closest the Kanemoto siblings had to a mother, but they lost her when they needed her the most.

Holding the photo to her chest, Misaki closed her eyes once again. She never got to see Mai before she passed, because her father refused to let her return to Japan. Misaki knew, however, exactly what Mai would tell her if she saw her now. Mai would lay in bed with her, comforting her in her arms. She would tell Misaki that everything would be alright, that she would have nothing to worry about. She would then force Misaki out of bed because staying in bed miserable for the rest of her life was not an option. Things were not going right now, but it was not the end of the world. Things would never be right until she made them right herself.

It was time Misaki got back onto her feet and stood up for herself.


	5. Chapter Five

_~Present Day~_

It had only been one night, but Misaki was back to normal by breakfast. She still had on her cast, but there was no sign of her breakdown from yesterday. Her eyes were not swollen or red, she greeted everyone as she always did on her way down to the dining room, and gave Minato a kiss on his head as she walked past him at the table. Under any other circumstances, that would not have been a call for concern; it was how Misaki behaved every morning.

Minato was no stranger to breakdowns himself, having gone through a few. They were never easy to get over, with the fastest being a couple of days. He had gone through breakdowns that took weeks to recover from, yet Misaki bounced back after just one night's sleep.

Reading her brother's mind, Misaki flashed him a smile to reassure him. This was the training coming through from her childhood. Her father always taught her how to fake a smile, lie through her teeth that she was alright even if she were to have a metal pipe sticking out her chest. A Kanemoto could never been seen as weak, not even to their own.

"I would like for you to join me at work today, Misaki," Junichiro said, finishing the last bite of his breakfast.

"Pardon?"

As a girl, she was never expected to take over the family business; that was Minato's fate. Junichiro never taught her anything either, never brought her to work or allowed her to take an internship. For him to ask her now meant that there was business he could only complete with her presence.

"You have ten minutes."

"Yes, father."

The journey to the company was much like their journey anywhere else: silent. Music was never allowed, so the radio was never on. Misaki and Minato were never permitted to have their earphones in either. Even his secretary had to have her phone on complete silence, vibrate was absolutely not allowed. The silence worked out well for her, however. If she were to speak with her father, she could never find a conversation. He was not interested in her life, neither was she in his. They did not share a single interest, hobby, not even a favourite food.

Arriving at the company, Misaki followed a few steps behind her father. As soon as the employees laid eyes on them, they bowed and stepped aside. This was a scene she grew up with; out of respect, her father's employees would bow whenever they see him. According to her experience, however, as soon as Junichiro walked past they would be whispering to each other. Turning her head slightly, Misaki could see them gathering and whispering though they dispersed as soon as they saw her watching them.

She did not need to listen in to know what they were whispering about. This was Misaki's first time making an appearance at the company. Junichiro's children were no secret, however. There were plenty of articles and interviews, and a plethora of pictures online. Anyone could go on the Internet, type her name in, and find out everything about her. They probably knew more about her than she did. But to see her in person, however, was most likely stirring a storm in the company.

"Mr. Kanemoto, Mr. Dohi will be arriving in ten minutes," Aoi said, putting her phone away after reading the message. "I've also booked _Serendipity_ for Dohi Kaori and Miss Kanemoto."

"When Mr. Dohi arrives, I'd like you to take his daughter to _Serendipity_. Make friends with her, and make sure you please her in every way."

"Yes, father."

It was always ironic to Misaki that her father would go out of his way to accommodate the daughters of his clients'. He would send gifts, not to his clients but to their daughters, even researching into what they would like. Happy daughters, after all, meant happy fathers which in turn meant a smooth deal for Junichiro. That effort he put into someone else's daughter, however, was never directed to his own. He could not care less about Misaki's favourite colour, nor her favourite place to shop. Yet he wanted her to do her part in pleasing someone else's daughter for the sake of his business. Though, Misaki finally understood why her father was so willing to make an exception and bring her to work today.

Mr. Dohi was a well-known loving father, much like Junichiro was. The only difference, Mr. Dohi was not faking it for the sake of his public image. It was once reported that he took an entire year off when his daughter was born, stayed away from his business by handing over operations to his partner. Even as his daughter grew older, he did not grow distant. When he went back to work, Mr. Dohi would take his daughter in with him. So much so that she even had her own room on the same floor at three.

Ten minutes later, Mr. Dohi and his daughter stepped out of the elevator. The two men were quick to greet each other with a big smile and a firm handshake. Junichiro introduced Misaki to his client, and Mr. Dohi did the same with Kaori. One look from her father and Misaki nodded, inviting Kaori with her to enjoy a meal at the rooftop restaurant in the building just across the street.

If there was something Misaki hated more than sharing a space with her father, it would be sharing a space with a complete stranger.

Years of living as a Kanemoto had taught her how to read people. From observation alone, Misaki could accurately tell what kind of personality one possessed. Kaori walked with her chin held high, her chest puffed out. There was a hint of smirk in her smile too, and a glint in her eye that practically yelled that she was much better than everyone else. She was an arrogant, spoiled brat. The type of people Misaki hated the most. They always acted as if they owned the world, entitled to anything and everything, therefore allowing them to treat others as trash.

"Kanemoto Misaki. Daddy's a fan of yours, always praising you for your rendition of Liszt's La Campanella. I always thought you were a very impressive person but now that I'm seeing you in person, you don't feel as intimidating."

"Please do thank your father for me, for his support. And I feel so ashamed, you seem to know me and my work quite well but I don't know a thing about you. Do forgive me. When you are travelling as much as I am, you just cannot find the time to look people up."

There was no hiding the tension between the two young women, and while it seemed as if they were disguising their insults, neither of them was committed to hiding it well. Misaki was right in her initial impression of Kaori, but they did have something in common; both of them could not stand the presence of each other. While her father doted on her, Mr. Dohi most likely asked Kaori to be nice to Misaki as she was instructed by her father to be nice to Kaori. Outsiders had no idea the relationship Misaki had with her father, they only knew to impress one of the most powerful men in the country by making her happy so to keep the 'loving' father happy.

Without their fathers there to witness their interaction, there was no need for either of them to hide their dislike for each other. Both of them took a sip of their wine at the same time when the waiter came over with their order.

"Look, we both know that we don't like each other, nor do we like being here but we don't have a choice. So why don't we have a little fun?" Kaori suggested. "Would you like to make a bet with me?"

"Pray tell."

"We'll each pick someone in this restaurant right now for the other who will attempt to pick them up. You get points for getting their number, non-rejected physical touches, and so on."

"Sounds interesting," Misaki nodded, leaning forward a little. "But you didn't suggest this game without a prize in mind, did you? What do you have your eyes on?"

Kaori grinned and pointed at the watch on Misaki's wrist. Looking down at her watch, Misaki let out a soft chuckle. To Misaki, the watch was nothing special; she was never attached to materials. It was a few years old with a simple design meant for everyday use. Anyone with any interest in watches, however, would love to get their hands on the one Misaki was wearing.

Handmade in Switzerland by a world renowned watchmaker, there were only ten of these made in the entire world. The Kanemoto family had been a long time customer of this particular watchmaker, ordering a new watch made for every new generation head of the family. Her father personally only wore watches from him, no one else. The limited edition watch Misaki owned was made as a 200 years anniversary gift for their best customers. As the watch was too simple in design for Junichiro, he gave it to Misaki instead.

"Fine."

"And if you win? What do you want?"

There was nothing of Kaori's that Misaki wanted. Not her earrings, nor her necklace, and definitely not her watch. Everything that Kaori had on her body, Misaki had something worth at least twice the price at home. But sometimes, participating in a bet did not mean interest in materialistic prizes. Sometimes, humiliation was a much better reward.

"Your dress."

"Deal. I'll go first. Pick someone," Kaori grinned.

"The waiter who brought our food," Misaki said, without hesitation.

Turning her head to see where the waiter was, Kaori beamed with confidence as she stood up and walked over to the man. Misaki leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table and placed her chin in her palm as she watched. As a Kanemoto, she did not go into this bet with a shred of possibility of losing; they always played to win. A smirk spread across her face as she watched Kaori approaching the waiter. He had on a smile, though anyone could tell it was just a service smile.

Kaori was very proactive, putting her hand on his arm. Although slightly alerted, the waiter did not reject her. Taking that as a hint, Kaori pushed further. She stepped closer to him and pressed her body against the side of his as she spoke. This time, however, he took a step back. She tried once more, but he stepped away once again. A little frustrated, Kaori pulled her phone out, passing it over to the waiter as she spoke. Instead of taking the phone, he pushed it back and gave Kaori a slight bow with an apologetic look before leaving to escape from the awkward situation. Embarrassed and feeling defeated, Kaori returned to their table.

"Let me guess, he has a wife," Misaki smiled. "Oh, that's right, I think I saw a ring on his finger just now when he brought over our food."

"You-"

"Choose someone for me, can't be the same person however. Don't think you can pull one on me."

Misaki could see in Kaori's eyes that she went from dislike to pure hatred for her in just mere seconds. Not that Misaki cared, to be honest. Anyone and everyone they came across in life would only ever have three opinions of you: like, dislike, and neutral. Her life would not be affected by one person hating on her; they were the one spending time and energy on it, not her.

"That guy," Kaori said, pointing over to the bar. "A guy that good looking has to be taken."

Looking over, Misaki froze for a second. Of all the people in the world, it had to be him. What was he doing here anyway? She did not have time to care about such details, however. There was no way she was backing out of this bet because of him. She could not care less about losing the watch, she just did not want to lose to Kaori. Not after she had humiliated her.

Making her way over, Misaki took a seat at the bar next to the man Kaori chose. Her heart was thumping, not from affection however. The last time she saw him, she got so overwhelmed with emotions that she entered a breakdown. From the corner of her eyes, Misaki could see Kaori watching her intently. Taking in a deep breath, Misaki turned in the chair and faced the man.

Last time, she did not get a good look of his face. She was trying to avoid looking at him and when she did, she was blinded by anger instead. Now, sitting just a few inches away from each other, she could see his face clearly. His features remained the same, having only matured over the years. There was still that mischievous glint in his eyes, and a hint of smirk in his smile. His hair was styled a little differently, but it was still the same hair she used to run her fingers through. Although she would never admit it out loud, he was a lot more handsome than he was all those years ago.

"Fancy seeing you here, Misa."

"You of all people know perfectly well that my family's building is just across the street."

"Yes, but you never come here."

Sagara Yosuke, the only man she ever loved. The one person who hurt her more than her own father did. He was also the one person, besides Minato, who knew everything about her because she so naively told him everything when she thought their love was real.

"I'd like to apologise," she said, flipping her hair behind her shoulder and tilted her head slightly to one side. His eyes were fixated on her, as she wanted. If Yosuke knew everything about her, she knew everything about him too. Especially how to seduce him. "For how I behaved last time we saw each other. I was not having a good night and I took it out on you."

"Are you going to make it up to me?" Yosuke grinned.

"Not today. If you give me your phone number however, I can make it up to you another day."

Misaki slid her phone over to him and leaned forward, flashing a smile his way. Yosuke knew from the moment she sat down next to him that something was going on. He had not seen Misaki in years, but last time he saw her, Yosuke felt that she had changed drastically. She used to walk around with the biggest and sweetest smile, but now she had an apathetic look plastered on her face. The Misaki he knew was weak, always scared to stand up for herself even when reason sided with her. She was not devious, she did not know how to set someone up like she did Junko.

As much as Yosuke would love the idea of Misaki forgiving him and moving on from their past, he had a feeling deep in his guts that this was all an act. Glancing behind Misaki, he understood when he saw Kaori's piercing glare. What did she have on stake that Misaki was willing to come and talk to him for the sake of a game?

Seeing the hesitation in Yosuke, Misaki took action. She was in too deep now to lose out on the bet. If she were to win, she had to make sure it was a complete win. She placed her hand on his thigh, inching ever so slowly upward. Yosuke raised an eyebrow, a look of amusement appearing on his face. She pressed her hand down, supporting her weight as she leaned forward further so their faces were only inches away.

"I've missed you, senpai."

Up until now, Yosuke could play along with whatever game Misaki was playing. It was entertaining watching her act in front of him, how she still used the same moves she did all those years ago on him. When she called him 'senpai', however, that was when he lost control of himself.

His lips crashed onto hers, but Misaki did not resist; she was kissing him back. She did not feel anxiety like she did when she saw him last time. She was overwhelmed with emotions but different ones this time. The affection she felt for Yosuke all those years ago, it was flooding her. Perhaps it was the bet, or perhaps because she had been trying so hard to seduce him that it brought out something in her. Holding Yosuke's face with one hand, Misaki pressed her lips harder against his and their first kiss came to mind.

It was just as passionate as it was now, though there was a hint of shyness back then. It was the first time a guy had shown interest in her for her, the first time someone wanted to kiss her. He was so gentle with her, only deepening the kiss when she did. Then there was their second kiss, third, tenth, umpteenth. Yosuke was the one who taught her how to bite on his bottom lip. He was the one who taught her how to use her tongue. He taught her how to make someone wanting more with just one kiss.

Snapping back to reality, Misaki pulled away from the kiss but could not seem to pull away from Yosuke. This was a man she hated. He was the one who ruined her life, broke her trust in anyone and everyone. She could not be falling right back into his trap. Misaki swiped her phone back, got off the chair and turned to leave when Yosuke grabbed her by the elbow. He took her phone from her, entering his number before handing it back to her. Without a word, Misaki turned on her heels and walked back to her table.

"Damn it..." Kaori muttered, knowing full well that she utterly lost.

"I got his number, touched him too, and we kissed. If I'm not wrong, I think I won this bet," Misaki smiled, waving her phone in Kaori's face. "And I believe, you owe me something."

"I'll have someone send the dress over."

"No, no. I want it now."


	6. Chapter Six (NSFW)

_~Present Day~_

Sipping a cup of Early Grey, Misaki stared at the dress on the counter with a small smirk. There were not a lot of joy in her life, there was little that she found pleasure in. The piano was just a career, and she had been trained out of having a hobby by her father; if she were to do something, she had to be the best or not bother at all. The only joy in life she found was toying with others, people who thought they had a chance against a Kanemoto. While it never lasted long, Misaki always tried to relish in her victory as long as she could.

Today, however, it only lasted for an hour.

Heavy footsteps could be heard coming toward the kitchen and as Misaki looked over her shoulder to see who it was, a hand collided with her cheek and she was suddenly on the floor. A sharp pain was radiating through the left side of her face, and she felt a little dizzy. She did not even react when her cup of tea was smashed on the floor, shattering the Wedgwood teacup. Having heard the commotion from his room, Minato came running into the kitchen.

"Do not help her!" Junichiro ordered, freezing Minato on the spot. "You know exactly what that was for."

"No, I do not."

She was lying. She knew exactly what the slap was punishment for, but this time, Misaki was not letting go. Growing up in the Kanemoto household, both she and Minato were nothing more than tools to Junichiro. Tools to promote a positive image for him, tools to sell off for his company, tools that could be discarded at any moment he thought they no longer pose a purpose. Misaki was sick and tired of this life. She was done being at the bottom of her father's list.

"I lost a valuable client because of you. Because you humiliated Mr. Dohi's daughter in public."

"She lost a bet, I was just claiming my prize."

"Then claim it under the table! What justifies you asking her to take her dress off in public?"

Misaki let out a soft chuckle, getting onto her feet. Her cheek still stung and she swayed a little, the dizziness still prevailing. It was always ironic how her father cared more for his client's children than he did his own. There was a point in life when Misaki suspected they were not his biological children. It was the only explanation as to why he cared so little for them.

"Does it hurt you to know that she was humiliated?" Misaki asked. "But let's switch the scenario, shall we? What if I were the one asked to take my dress off in public? Would you be this angry? Of course you would, but not for the same reason. You would be furious because I lost as a Kanemoto."

"Watch your words, Misaki. Do not make me punish you again."

"Go ahead, hit me." Misaki stepped right up to her father, looking him straight in the eyes. "Hit me. Hit me like you did mother. Drive me to suicide, just like you did to her."

Anger burned in Junichiro's eyes. Misaki crossed the line, she knew perfectly well. There were many things the Kanemoto children were restricted from doing. They were not allowed to cause trouble anywhere. They were not allowed to be photographed and associated with commoners, not unless they were doing charity work. They were not allowed to change their appearances drastically, like dying their hair or getting cosmetic surgery, even if they were to receive criticism on their looks. The one thing they were most definitely not allowed as a Kanemoto, however, the one thing that stood above all the other no-nos:

Talk about their mother.

Misaki's last memory of her mother was at six years old. She was stood at the edge of the roof, holding Misaki in her arms, and ready to jump. She remembered crying and asking her mother to let her go. She did not understand what was going on, she only knew her mother was holding her so tight it hurt. It was not until she was much older did she finally realise that her mother was planning on committing suicide with her. She resented her mother for a long time, for leaving her and Minato behind. That resentment eventually transferred onto her father. He was the cause of all their pain.

Junichiro raised his hand but Misaki did not even blink. This was her first time blatantly and openly acting in defiance, and Junichiro was thrown off the rails. His children had always been obedient; they would never stand if they were told to sit. What threw him off further was when Minato came up and grabbed Junichiro by the wrist in the next second. They were both rebelling.

"Father, please."

"I do not want to see you for the rest of the day," Junichiro stated, snatching his wrist from Minato's grasp. "And you, Minato, bring me a proposal for the development of our new shopping centre by the end of tomorrow. I want at least ten different ideas of how to promote."

"Yes, father."

As Junichiro left the room, Minato let out a huge sigh of relief, putting his hand on the island counter to support himself. He looked to Misaki who was oddly calm, despite her little rebellion. This was not the Misaki he grew up with. She had always been the advocate of obeying their father lest they be punished. She was Junichiro's model child, even if she hated it with every fibre of her being. This was the first time since their mother's death did Misaki mention her. She never spoke about their mother, not even privately to Minato.

"Misaki-"

"Don't worry." Misaki placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed her lips to his cheeks.

"Where are you going? Misaki?"

~.~

The nightclub was never her scene.

Even when she studied abroad, Misaki never liked clubbing. She was dragged to one or two in celebration of her friends' birthdays, but they were as awful as she thought them to be. She chose the nightclub tonight, however, hoping that it would distract her from all the happenings. The music was not drowning her thoughts so she drowned herself in the alcohol instead. Her mind was numb, but her feelings were not.

"Thank you for the information," Yosuke smiled, shaking a man's hand as they came out from the VIP room.

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Yosuke."

With one last goodbye, they parted ways.

As he turned to leave, someone by the bar caught his eyes. Her aura had always been different, being a Kanemoto, but he had always been able to pick her out easily in a crowd. She stood out in the nightclub, however, sitting with her legs crossed ever so elegantly in a red strapless dress. Slipping the USB into his pocket, Yosuke made his way over to the bar, taking the seat next to her. Misaki simply glanced over before looking away and took a shot. Something was not quite right, Yosuke could feel it.

Neither of them spoke a word to the other, only sharing a space while drinking. It reminded Yosuke of the times they spent together back in high school. The idea of soulmates was laughable to him. How desperate must one be to believe that there was another person in the world made to complete them? Although, 'soulmate' was the only word he could think of to describe to her.

The way she understood how he felt with just one look into his eyes. How she opened her heart to him when she had been building a wall to fend off everyone else. Her smile that brightened his day for no particular reason. Just one touch of hers was enough to dispel any and all negativity. What else would she be, if not his soulmate?

"Well hello there, cutie pie."

Looking to his right, a woman in a short black dress slided into the seat next to him. She rested her elbow on the edge of the bar, leaning her head on it as she gazed at him with an attempted sensual look. If he was at all honest, she was not his type. Albeit, he was never a picky man. Any other day, Yosuke would have went with the flow and perhaps bed her for the night before moving on.

From the corner of his eyes, Yosuke caught Misaki rolling her eyes. Now, he was intrigued. As sorry as he was to the woman (not at all, to be honest), all she was going to be tonight unfortunately was a part of his little experiment.

"Bit of a shame that you're here alone. Unless...you're with her?" the woman asked, leaning further to the side to get a better look at Misaki. "Although, it looks like she's not interested in you anyway. Why don't we head off somewhere else? Just you...and me."

Just as the woman was about to put her hand on Yosuke's thigh, Misaki stepped in. She slapped the woman's hand away, pressing her chest against Yosuke's back and buried her face into his neck. Her warm lips were on his skin and Misaki was nibbling on him; gentle enough for it to feel arousing, yet hard enough to leave a mark, Yosuke was sure. When she was done planting the hickey on his neck, she tilted his head with a finger on his chin and crashed her lips onto his. It did not take long before the kiss intensified. Yosuke was hoping to get a reaction out of Misaki, though he did not plan on such a reaction; something was definitely wrong with her.

Feeling a little embarrassed and humiliated, the other woman wanted to leave though Misaki grabbed her by the elbow. Pulling away from the kiss, she continued planting kisses down Yosuke's jaw but stared at the woman instead. This was a clear declaration, woman to woman: Don't even think about having this man.

"Sorry, seems like I've made a mistake."

The woman managed to wiggle her arm free from Misaki's grasp and hurried away, disappearing into the crowd. Misaki followed her with her eyes and a satisfied grin before looking back to Yosuke. She had fallen for his trap, she knew the instant she locked eyes with him. For the first time, however, she did not mind. It distracted her from her own problems. Perhaps Yosuke was what she needed tonight.

"Take me back to your place now."

Misaki had her lips right by his ear, and Yosuke could feel her warm breath sending chills down his spine. Something was definitely not quite right with her, though he saw no reason in rejecting her. She was, after all, the only person for whom he felt what others would call love.

Her entire life, things had been out of her control. She had no choice in the schools she attended, the friends she made, nor the clothes she wore. She never had a choice either, in who she could date. The relationship she had with Yosuke was very much firmly under a lid, and swept under the rug as if nothing happened when it ended. The only choice she made was her career as a pianist, though it was only because she was not allowed in the family business as a girl. Tonight, she was making a choice of her own. A choice that she would come to regret but it was exactly what she wanted.

How they managed to get to his apartment was a mystery to them both.

The moment Misaki asked to be taken away, Yosuke was on his feet in a heartbeat. Next thing he knew, they were inside his apartment by the door. This place was one of Yosuke's deepest secrets; a place where many of his deepest secrets were kept. No one had ever set foot in this apartment, not even Kozaki Taki the owner of the building. No one except Haruka under special circumstances. Misaki was the second.

Slipping her hands under his suit jacket, Misaki swept them over his shoulders, effectively taking it off. Her fingers moved on to the buttons on his shirt and skilfully popped them open to reveal his naked torso underneath. She traced her finger along his chest, awakening the memories buried deep inside her. She could still remember every inch of his body, and where to touch to get a reaction out of him. She was succeeding, as evident by his heavy breathing.

Yosuke had his fair share of women, though none of them quite knew his body like Misaki did. Albeit, they were mostly one night stands and had no chance of getting to know what got him going. With those women, he was always the one in charge; he led the way and pleasured them. The woman in front of him right now, however, she did not need guidance. She knew how to arouse him, yet still holding back so he was yearning more. She had him wrapped around her finger, not the other way round like with other women.

All she did so far was touching him ever so softly with one finger yet his body was already burning up. Unable to stand it for another second more, he grabbed her by the hand, about to lead the way to his bedroom when she tugged back, walking toward the sofa instead.

She sat him down, climbing on top and straddled him. They were only just starting but she could feel his growing bulge through his trousers. Lifting his chin with one hand, Misaki leaned forward and pressed her lips softly on his over and over again. Like any other man, Yosuke liked it rough. They had many wild nights before, where she would feel the consequences on her own hips the next day. She had learnt, however, to be in control by never giving what they wanted. She was going to make him beg for it.

With her other hand, she undid his belt and unzipped his trousers, slipping her hand inside. That action alone was enough to solicit a moan from Yosuke. Misaki's breathing was getting heavier by the second, and she could feel herself getting wetter between her legs. She spent the next few minutes stroking her hand, getting Yosuke erected. The first time she slept with him, Misaki was shy and nervous. Everything was new to her but Yosuke guided her through every step. And just like that, he took her innocence, literally and figuratively.

Pushing his trousers and underwear off, she pushed herself up onto her knees and reached underneath her dress. She took her own underwear off, tossing it one side before lowering herself onto him. She could not help the moan, and how her fingernails were digging into his shoulders, feeling his shaft pushing inside her. Perhaps it was because it had been a while, or maybe because it was simply Yosuke, but her hips felt weak just from the insertion.

Misaki rested her head on Yosuke's shoulder, taking in deep breaths. Memories of their passionate nights back in their younger days were flooding back. She was scared her first time but Yosuke taught her how to feel good. Thirteen years later, it felt as good as her first time with him.

Yosuke's hands could not stop themselves as they caressed her exposed thighs. The way she was holding onto him unmoving, it reminded him of the first time she took charge. Just like they were now, Misaki was straddling him. She did not move for a good five minutes and when Yosuke asked if something was wrong, she looked him in the eyes so innocently and told him she simply wanted to savour the moment, the feeling of being connected to him. He laughed at her innocence back then, but he was starting to understand the feeling she talked about.

Eventually, Misaki started moving her hips against his. She pushed herself up and held Yosuke's face in her hands. This was the man she thought who would protect her, who would love her forever. Then everything changed and she hated him as much as she hated her father,but now she was asking for his attention and begging for pleasure. She kept telling herself that she would never fall back into the trap that was Sagara Yosuke, yet here she was, having sex that she knew she would regret.

The more she thought of the love she had for him, the hatred she had been feeling all these years, the more she moved her hips. When she pressed down onto him, Yosuke's hands would press down on her hips too, adding that one bit of pleasure he knew she loved. Something was stirring inside her and Misaki knew what was to come, clenching her muscles and holding her breath. There were several other men with whom she slept over the years, but none of them quite satisfied her like Yosuke did. When she entwined her fingers with his, Yosuke knew what was happening too. He bucked his hips, loving the expression on her face as she was trying to hold on for as long as possible before giving in to the orgasm.

A few more strokes and Misaki could no longer hold it in. She gripped his hands tightly, her forehead pressed against his while her body shook from the pure pleasure. They were far from done, however. She only had a few seconds to recover herself before Yosuke started taking over. Holding her on his hips, he put her on her back on the sofa, and her legs were automatically wrapped around his waist.

"Where did you learn to be so good?" Yosuke asked, pushing her dress up to hold her by the waist. Every inch of her body was alluring, though not as seducing as the look on her face.

"You taught me everything I know," Misaki moaned, her nails digging into his forearms. As much as she loved being in control, sex never felt as good unless Yosuke was in charge.

"Do you put on that face for other men too?"

"No one makes me feel as good as you do, senpai."

That was his trigger, and Misaki knew it all too well. His thrusts became rougher and faster, but she did not mind. When she asked to come to his place, this was what she expected. When he finished inside her, Misaki could not care less either. This was a night of sex and regret, after all. And it was just beginning.


	7. Chapter Seven

_~Present Day~_

The first thing Misaki saw when she opened her eyes, two hours after they were finished with each other and finally went to sleep, was Yosuke's face. There was a time, long ago, when she imagined what it would be like to wake up next to him every morning. How naive of her to think of this as bliss.

She reached one hand out to touch Yosuke's face but she stopped herself inches away. Instead, she pushed herself up and swung her legs over the edge. As she got out of the bed, she bent down and snatched Yosuke's shirt off the floor, putting it on; she was in no mood to put her dress back on. She walked to the door and looked over her shoulder at the still sleeping Yosuke. She wanted a night of regret, and she definitely succeeded.

Yosuke's apartment was much like a typical bachelor's pad, although on the upper end in terms of luxury. Walking barefoot into the living room, Misaki sauntered over to the window looking down on the city that seemed to stretch out endlessly. It took one glance and Misaki knew where they were, which building she was currently standing in. She was still abroad when this apartment complex was built, but she read the news. The self-made real estate tycoon Kozaki Taki was the owner of this land and this building. An apartment this high up, Yosuke had to know the owner.

After spending a couple minutes taking in the view, she was summoned to the kitchen by her empty stomach. She opened the fridge only to be greeted by the pure whiteness inside. The fridge was pristine, no out-of-date milk and no spoilt food, because there was no food. It was only then Misaki remembered that Yosuke did not eat home cooked meals. Still, there was not even a single drop of milk nor coffee for her to make a cup.

"Good morning."

Looking to where the voice came from, Misaki's expression was kept nonchalant as she was greeted by a naked Yosuke. They said that people changed over time, therefore you should not judge them from your first impression of them. Someone who was sweet and kind might be the cruelest person, while a murderer could become the most charitable. Yosuke, however, was the rare exception; he was still the same as before.

Physically, he had changed. His features matured and he grew a few more inches. His body was definitely in better shape than it was in high school (the one thing Misaki would not complain about him). Mentally though, he was still the same childish boy he was back then. He used to tease her, walking around her room naked after they had done the deed just to see her blush in embarrassment. She thought it was funny and cute back then. Now, it was just a bother.

"Goodbye," Misaki said, walking past him and out of the kitchen without so much of a glance his way. Yosuke had to admit, it stung. "Thanks for last night."

"You used to ask for a continuation in the morning," Yosuke teased.

"I wanted a night of regret, I got it. Maybe next time I want to do something stupid, I'd come to you."

She headed back to his bedroom, and Yosuke followed suit. She did not bother closing the door, nor did she care when he sat on the bed and watched as she undressed. Unbuttoning the shirt and throwing it at Yosuke, Misaki picked up her underwear and put them on first before scooping up her dress with her foot. Once she got the dress on, she turned her back to Yosuke and waited for him to zip her up. As he did, her stomach growled.

"If you have nowhere to be, stay for breakfast."

"I'd like to, but your fridge is cleaner than the ones at showrooms."

"You don't have to cook breakfast yourself here," Yosuke grinned, tapping her nose with his index finger.

Once Yosuke got dressed, he brought Misaki up to the rooftop, to Pandora. While riding the elevator up, he thought it was ironic that of all places he was taking her, he brought her to Pandora. In Greek mythology, when Pandora's box was opened, chaos was unleashed onto the world. Although not quite to that extent, that was how his relationship with Misaki could be described. He opened something he should not have, and now they were suffering the consequences of that action.

He poked his head out of the elevator first, surveying the rooftop before stepping out with Misaki. Though he was not quite sure why, Yosuke did not want the other men meeting Misaki. They were sure to ask a bunch of questions and he did not want to, nor did he know how to, answer them; the Kanemoto name was more recognisable than most celebrities, making Misaki a very familiar face. Fortunately, it seemed that no one was home.

Breakfast was served by a housekeeper, a woman whom Yosuke claimed was Taki's ex-girlfriend though Misaki could not be less interested. She picked up her chopsticks and pierced into the fish, separating the meat from the bone before taking a bite. Her eyes widened a little and nodded her head in approval. They employed a Michelin star chef at home, but his food was miles apart from what the woman served. The meal was simple, so was the ingredients used. Yet, she could taste the freshness of the ingredients, and how they complimented each other while maintaining a balance of taste.

"You're up early, Yosuke."

A voice interrupted their quiet breakfast. Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, Yosuke silently cursed. Was this God's way of punishing him?

With her chopsticks in her mouth, Misaki looked up from her bowl of rice to see one of the best looking men she had ever seen. And she had seen him before, on magazines, on television. Standing in front of her in swim shorts and an opened button-up shirt was Shirakami Kiyohito, the supermodel. A smirk spread across her face, and an eyebrow was raised. This was a great sight to see early in the morning.

"Yosuke's up? That is new."

"A more logical explanation would be that he did not go to sleep at all."

"You've got a guest."

All eyes were now on Misaki, as two other men joined them by the pool. Sweeping her hair over her shoulder, Misaki placed her chopsticks neatly on her bowl and stood up with her hand extended. "Nice to meet you, I'm-"

"Kanemoto Misaki."

As expected, they knew exactly who she was.

No one moved, and Misaki was left hanging on the handshake. This was a reaction she was used to, though it was usually with her fans. Retracting her hand, Misaki sat down and resumed eating her breakfast. The three men moved slowly and kept their eyes on her as if she was a predator, joining them at the table. When they finally stop staring, they had instead shifted their attention to Yosuke for an explanation.

"Since you already know who she is, then perhaps I should introduce you," Yosuke said, sitting up straight. "Misa, they are-"

"Randoh Shun," Misaki said, pointing at Shun before moving her finger in Taki's direction. "Kozaki Taki." Finally, she turned her body to face Kiyohito and leaned forward, resting her chin in her palm on top of her knee. "Shirakami Kiyohito."

"May I ask why you are here, Miss Kanemoto?" Taki asked.

"Please, call me Misaki."

She never liked the name Kanemoto, and she hated whenever people would refer to her as 'Miss Kanemoto'. It reminded her of what family she was born into, who her father was, and what a terrible life she led because of her name. Yosuke was the only one who would call her by her name, others would still use 'Miss Kanemoto' despite her repeated request not to. Now that she thought about it, perhaps that was one of the reasons why she was so attracted to him.

"It does not matter why I came here, what matters now is that I get to meet you," Misaki smiled.

"Meet who?"

"You. All three of you. It could not be more perfect."

There was a glint in her eyes, one that Yosuke never saw before. It hurt a little, if he was to be honest, to see Misaki so exhilarated to see the others. She used to look at him the same way she was eyeing Kiyohito now. Frowns and eye rolls were all that he got now whenever they met.

~.~

"So what was it that Misa wants from you?" Yosuke asked.

Shun was the first person Misaki pulled aside for a private conversation. They talked for almost half an hour, and although it seemed like a serious conversation, there were quite a lot of flirting and touching. Misaki kept sweeping her hair from one side to the other too, a move she used when she was trying to seduce.

Yosuke did not know what it was he was feeling. Jealousy? But jealousy was only an emotion one would feel when they were in a relationship. Or so he thought. Jealousy was not an emotion that Yosuke was familiar with because he had no reason to be jealous. Back in high school, Yosuke knew that Misaki only had eyes for him. She never even thought about another man, let alone cheat on him with another. Later on in life, all the women he 'dated' were nothing more than flings. They definitely were not worth getting jealous for. Seeing the way Misaki acted with Shun, however, he could not help but wonder if what he felt was truly jealousy.

"Misa? You're quite close with her, huh?" Shun picked up his cup and took a sip, watching Yosuke for his expression the entire time. "So tell me, how is it that you are acquainted with a Kanemoto?"

Every person present right now in Pandora was no ordinary person. A real estate tycoon, a supermodel, and a director. They all had their own special connections, though none quite as special as knowing a Kanemoto. However, out of the four men, if one were to know a Kanemoto, it would be Yosuke no doubt. His network was incredible and admirable. Shun would not be surprised if Yosuke was one day invited to have tea with the Emperor.

"What if I told you we dated?"

"I would call you crazy, and believe you."

Looking back to Misaki who was now speaking to Kiyohito, Shun could not picture her with Yosuke. A Kanemoto came with a certain aura, a certain elegance, that did not match with Yosuke. Albeit, there were plenty of stories of rich girls seeking thrills in the men they dated. Perhaps Yosuke was just a different experience in her very extravagant life?

"She asked for me to direct an advert for Kanemoto Corporations' new shopping centre. Actually, she asked for two different adverts and a short movie. Maybe even a short series."

"That's all?" Yosuke frowned.

"What else did you want her to ask from me?"

Business was never a part of Misaki. Kanemoto Junichiro was a traditional man, to put it nicely. In other (not so nice) words, he was sexist and misogynistic. He never let Misaki partake in any business related work, not unless it worked in his favour. She was never allowed at the office, unless events and parties called for her. No matter how smart Misaki proved herself to be, he was only satisfied when she chose a major and a career that was far from what their family business dealt with. He did not want to give reasons to the board to take the company away from Minato.

And she complied.

Before meeting her again, Yosuke clung onto that image of Misaki all those years ago. He always imagined if he ever did meet her again, she would be the same girl as the first day they met. That innocent and pure girl who believed almost every word he told her. He knew everything about her then, and she would continually tell him everything. The Misaki now, however, he knew as much about her as he did about quantum physics: nothing.

Her conversation with Kiyohito breezed through and Taki was the last man to speak to. She was served a cup of tea by the housekeeper and she decided to take a small break. Taki did not look like he minded either. She raised the cup and caught a whiff of the scent: Earl Grey. It was Misaki's favourite tea. The surprise came, however, when she took a sip of the tea. It was served with honey and lemon, exactly the way she liked it.

"Did Yosuke give you an extensive background check on me?" she asked, taking another sip. "She made this exactly how I like it."

"She's good like that," Taki answered. "You've asked Shun to direct, and Kiyohito to be the face of the new shopping centre. I don't see what else I could be helping you with, seeing as the shopping centre has already been built."

"I need you for something different." Putting the cup down gently, Misaki leaned back on the chair and closed her eyes. "This is a great location. You have eyes for real estate, no wonder the farts are panicking."

"If I recall, real estate is not an area of expertise for the Kanemoto Corporations. Unless...you're looking into it?"

"Could not care less, actually," Misaki stated plainly. "Do not understand it, do not care enough to try and understand."

"Perhaps you should polish up your skills first, Miss Kanemoto, before you talk to me."

"_Misaki_," she corrected him. "I know nothing about real estate, but I do know that you have been eyeing a piece of land that belongs to us. A land in Hokkaido, I believe is where you are from."

Misaki never received training in negotiating business deals, her father never bothered to teach her nor did he want her to learn. Her skills in negotiation was atrocious, she would admit. If all businesses were dealt purely based on her skills, she would fail so miserably. There was one thing Misaki knew, however, and that was people. Each and every person had something they deeply desired, and she was good at digging that out. Taki, who was unimpressed with her just half a minute ago, was suddenly intrigued by what she had to offer him.

"But I can't offer you that."

"Then why bring it up?"

"Because I'm going to offer you something better. Another piece of land, much smaller and much lower in value." The expression on Taki's face was amusing as Misaki watched him change between unimpressed to interested, to what seemed like repulsion.

* * *

"Come in."

Not looking up from the documents on his desk, Junichiro called out to whoever knocked on his door. Since he lost the deal with Dohi, he had been busy trying to find an alternative before the board got on his back. He could not concentrate, however. The more he tried to fix the problem, the more he was reminded of why there was a problem in the first place.

Misaki had always been an obedient child. In the twenty-eight years of life she lived, she had only rebelled once. Twice, including this Dohi incident. Lately, however, it seemed as if Misaki had changed. She was still keeping herself in line though she was extremely close to crossing it, and Junichiro did not need that trouble that would follow. She was playing with fire that she could not control, he had to extinguish it before she could go about burning everyone else.

"Mr. Kanemoto, Mr. Dohi's secretary sent this over."

Aoi placed a folder on his desk and opened it to reveal a signed contract. Junichiro frowned, looking up at his secretary for an explanation. Just yesterday, Dohi was screaming down the phone at him for his daughter's humiliation and made it very clear that he would never do business with Kanemoto Corporations in any way, even if it meant his company failing. Less than twelve hours later, he signed the contract.

"Mr. Dohi would also like to thank you for the apartment."

"What apartment?"

"I've checked, it seems that Kozaki Taki has gifted an apartment to Mr. Dohi under your name, sir. And I think you'd like to know this too, the land in Hokkaido under Miss Kanemoto's name has been transferred to Kozaki Taki this morning."

Junichiro's frown only deepened. It did not take a genius to realise what happened; Misaki gave the land to Kozaki Taki so he would gift the apartment to Dohi, who in turn agreed to sign the contract. He was not quite sure what to feel. Angry? How could he be when his daughter saved a busted deal? Impressed? In a way, Junichiro was impressed with Misaki. He never thought of all people, it would be her coming to his rescue. More so, however, he felt fear.

What he had been afraid of all these years was happening. All his efforts at keeping Misaki away from business seemed futile when she proved herself to be more than competent. Especially when Junichiro himself could not figure out a way to solve the problem.

~.~

It was late into the night when she finally made it home.

Unexpectedly, she spent the whole day at Yosuke's place though it was not to have regrettable sex with him. No, she was up in Pandora half the time, working out the details of partnership with both Shun and Kiyohito. By late afternoon, she had a contract drafted for both of them. She then spent the rest of the day calling up her lawyer to transfer some estate to Taki, and writing up a proposal with twenty different ideas of promotions.

She went straight for Minato's room, glad to see that he was still up with the light on behind the door. She knocked gently and opened the door, seeing Minato at his desk and his head in his hands. It was a tough challenge that her father dropped on Minato. He was never interested in the family business, but he was never allowed to pursue his own dreams. It broke Misaki's heart to see him so trapped.

Walking up to his desk, Misaki reached out to shut the laptop. "Misaki!" Minato yelled, about to stand up when his sister placed a hand on his shoulder. "Misaki, I didn't save! I've been working on that all day. Father's about to be back, and when he does, I'll have nothing to show him."

"Yes, you do."

A thick folder was placed on his lap, and Minato flipped through quickly. Inside was a proposal detailing each and every twenty ideas of promotion, and filled with research and numbers to back them up. Minato looked up at his sister, speechless.

It was no secret that Misaki was better than he was when it came to business. She was always the one who helped him whenever Junichiro would give him a task as 'training'. All these years, Minato was still treading water when Misaki had already mastered all techniques. She held no interest, however, in business. She was only doing this to help Minato and he felt awful. Not because he did not improve all these years, but because he knew Misaki would help him so there was no need for improvement.

"Misaki..."

"Go through the proposal so you know what you're talking about when you present it to father. Also, if they approve, I have both Randoh Shun and Shirakami Kiyohito ready to a sign a contract with us."

"Thank you, Misaki."

"There's no need for thanks. You're my baby brother, I'll always help you."

She planted a kiss on the top of his head and ruffled his hair before leaving. She was exhausted, running on just two hours of sleep. Perhaps she could sleep better tonight without Yosuke beside her?


	8. Chapter Eight

_~Present Day~_

For the past three hours, Taki had been staring at the document in his hand. Just earlier that day, Kanemoto Misaki transferred a piece of land to him. It was not what he originally wanted, but it was the second best he could have hoped for. The reason he could not let go of the interaction, however, was not because of the deal but because of Misaki. When he woke up that morning, he was not expecting to see nor make a business deal with someone from the Kanemoto Corporations.

In his short interaction with her, Taki finally understood why the Kanemoto Corporations was so successful. While he never met her father, he had seen interviews of Junichiro. He was charming, humorous, and would intelligently and skillfully dodge questions he did not want to answer. Like father, like daughter. Misaki was charismatic the entire time, when she was speaking with Taki, and when she was speaking with both Shun and Kiyohito. Even the supermodel commented how he could not take his eyes off her. She was clever, and very manipulative. She knew exactly what they wanted, played with it so they would fall right into her hands. Before they even knew it, they were already agreeing to her terms and conditions.

Even more intriguing, however, was how Yosuke came to know her.

"Of all people to know a Kanemoto, it had to be Yosuke," Shun said, as if reading Taki's mind.

"I don't think anyone besides Yosuke could make it possible," Kiyohito added.

* * *

It was almost a week before her father finally called for her.

Misaki was expecting a meeting with him; she was not exactly subtle with what she had been up to. Something as major as transferring a whole piece of land to someone else was bound to show up on his radar. Although, she was not quite sure what kind of reaction she should be expecting from her father. Anger? Nonchalance? Or the very unlikely, pride in her?

She knocked on his door, waiting for his 'come in' before she walked into his home office. Junichiro gestured for her to close the door, and Misaki felt a tad of fear. This seemed a little more serious that she thought it would be. He waited until she was sat on the other side of his desk before he finally looked at her. She could not read his expression, and she did not like it one bit.

Junichiro took his time, going back to his work and occasionally glancing her way. It was as if he was playing psychological games with her, or perhaps he did not know where to begin. Misaki did not play into his hands, however; she was no longer his puppet. She simply waited for as long as he wanted (or needed), all the while looking her father straight in the eyes whenever they made eye contact. She was not backing down this time, not anymore.

"You wrote this proposal, did you not?"

He pulled a folder from the pile to his right, putting it in front of Misaki. She did not need to open it to know that it was the proposal she spent an entire day at Yosuke's apartment writing for Minato. Whenever she gave her brother a hand with the tasks Junichiro gave him, she always tried to write in the style of Minato to conceal the fact that she was involved. This time, she did not. It was not so she could throw Minato under the bus and replace his position in their father's eyes because that was as impossible as a mission to the sun, if not more.

This was Misaki's declaration to her father, a warning not to underestimate her no matter how hard he tried to put her down. It delighted her to see her father so perplexed, so on the fence about his own daughter. It was revenge for all those years of abuse and neglect, and it was just the tip of a massive iceberg.

"How did you get both Randoh Shun and Shirakami Kiyohito on board?"

"I have my connections."

"Connections that, I assume, you would be using to aid Minato?"

One had to be proficient at reading between the lines in a conversation with her father. His way of speaking was frustratingly roundabout, but Misaki grew up used to this way of speech. She could read perfectly between those lines and pick out his hidden meanings. Junichiro did not mean that he wanted Misaki to help Minato. No, he simply wanted her to hand over any useful connections to Minato and wash her hands of anything to do with the business. Even with knowledge of her capabilities, his misogyny was running strong.

Silence fell upon them and tension was rising within the room. Neither of them said anything, but at the same time, saying everything. Something about Misaki was telling him that this would not be the first time she was defying his wishes, and it was far from being the last time. He was intimidated, if he were to be honest. Even as he looked straight into her eyes, he could not read her thoughts; she was not transparent as she used to be. He had no clue as to what she was thinking, what she was planning for the future. Was she plotting to take over the company instead of Minato?

"You did an impressive job with Mr. Dohi, that I would commend you for."

"Do you know what I am good at, father?" Misaki asked, throwing Junichiro off. "The one thing that I learnt from life." She paused, as if waiting for an answer but she knew it was not coming. "I am good at reading people, knowing exactly what is on their mind. And do you know what I can do with that kind of information? Manipulate them. You had the right idea when you brought me to meet Mr. Dohi and his daughter, he is known to be a loving and doting father. However, there was a piece to the puzzle that you missed.

"Mr. Dohi is every bit the misogynist that you are, if not more. His wife only gave birth to the one child, their only daughter. He has no heir, unlike you. He does, however, have a mistress. Twenty years his junior, overseas, and seven months pregnant. A boy. But what can you never do with a mistress? Let your wife know. He cannot let his son live abroad though, not when he is so precious. So here comes the conundrum, he wants his son near him but cannot let his wife know. That is where the apartment comes in."

"And the piece of land to Kozaki Taki?"

"A small price to pay. I have no use for it, he does. He wanted your Hokkaido land, the one under discussion for a theme park. I offered him my land, two miles away from his intended. It is smaller, but it is by the sea. Perfect to build a resort on, especially with a theme park coming soon. Like I said, I'm good at knowing what people desire the most."

All these years, Misaki played the role of a naive pianist when really, she had one of the greatest business minds Junichiro had seen. When he first knew of the apartment and her land, he thought she was acting on impulse and did not think the consequences through. In fact, the truth was quite the opposite. Everything she did was methodically planned, and worked out exactly how she wanted it to. And she did it not because she had to, it was because she could. A bold declaration to him.

A knock on his office door interrupted the father and daughter, and in walked Aoi, her father's loyal secretary. Misaki took this as her cue to leave, and Junichiro did not stop her. As she got to the door, however, she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Do you know what else I am good at, besides finding out someone's deepest desire?" Misaki asked, a smile spreading across her face and sending chills down Junichiro's spine. "Finding out their deepest fear."

Misaki felt exhilarating, walking out of her father's office on that note. She closed the door behind her and took in several deep breaths to calm herself down. Her hands were shaking but not from fear, they were shaking from pure excitement. For the first time ever with her father, she was in control. She could see fear flickering in his eyes every so often as he realised that he was losing his grip on her. And she thrived on that fear.

Though, as they said, the higher you climbed, the harder you fell.

And Misaki fell pretty soon.

Just as she was about to walk away, she heard her father's voice on the other side of the room. "Give Ryoichi a call, Aoi. It's time Misaki meet his son." All that control she held was stripped from her by eleven simple words. She was like Icarus and flew too close to the sun, and now she was plummeting to the ground. She went too far, pushing her father over the edge, and now he was getting rid of her. He did not need to say it out loud for Misaki to know his intentions: he was marrying her off.

~.~

Six hours went by since she had that meeting with her father.

And for the last six hours, she was sat in her bed with her knees curled up and her doors locked. The curtains was drawn, not letting a single stream of light through and plunging her room into complete darkness when sunset was only two hours away.

She always knew this day would come, the day when her father would arrange for her to marry someone 'appropriate'. His own marriage was arranged, so was her grandfather's, and all Kanemoto's. Her own uncle went through two divorces and had a third marriage arranged for him before her grandfather passed away. She always knew this day was coming, yet somehow it always felt surreal. Until now.

There was always the option of rejecting the marriage, but there was no doubt that her father would disown her there and then. Not that it mattered to Misaki. With her name out there as a classical pianist, she made enough in world tours and albums to live comfortably the rest of her life. And just the name Kanemoto would be bringing in more than enough revenue from all over. It would work out better, in fact, if her father were to disown her. It was what Misaki had always wanted, to be separated from the family and the business, especially from her father. It was her chance to finally break free.

As much as she wanted to, however, she could not.

If she were to leave this place and this life, she would be leaving Minato behind too. He would be alone in this hellhole, and he would not be able to survive their father. He was barely clinging on now, and Misaki was there to take most of the heat. There was a time she almost lost him, she was not going to let it happen again.

The buzzing of her phone broke her thoughts and depressive episode momentarily. She reached for the phone on the nightstand and turned the screen on to see several messages from Yosuke. What did he want now?

-.-

**[Yosuke to Katsumi]:** _Can we meet? I have something to talk to you about._

**[Yosuke to Katsumi]:** _It won't be long, I promise. No longer than fifteen minutes._

**[Yosuke to Katsumi]: ** _We can go to that restaurant you like, my treat._

**[Yosuke to Katsumi]: ** _Please?_

**[Katsumi to Yosuke]: ** _See you in half an hour._

-.-

Meeting with Yosuke was the last thing she had in mind, but perhaps it was the distraction she needed. Things could not get any worse, and if they do, she had Yosuke there to do something regrettable with.

She swung her legs off the bed and walked over to her walk-in closet. She had both hands on the door handle and pulled, opening the door. If there was one place she liked the most, it would be her closet. Cliché, but for different reasons to others. Her closet was the deepest room in the house that belonged to her. She could lock herself in here and be away from everything. There were times when Misaki would find herself sat on the floor while surrounded by designer dresses, doing absolutely nothing. Today was not one of those days, however.

Dress after dress was picked off the rail before they were thrown onto the ottoman in the middle of the room. It was when she reached for the seventh dress when she stopped herself. Why was she being so picky? Why was she putting effort into dressing herself to see Yosuke? Coming to her senses, Misaki picked a strapless jumpsuit and simply brushed her hair before finally leaving.

The restaurant Yosuke spoke of was one they used to frequent in high school on dates. It was not the high end type she was used to, but she thought it was a cute restaurant when she was fifteen. Now that she was visiting the place again, she thought she was stupid to think so.

It was one of those restaurants that was furnished to look extravagant but one could tell from one look that it was built cheap. Despite thirteen years passing, it was exactly the way she remembered it. The carpet that was too sticky, and about ten shades too dark from the original colour. The fact that the only type of seating was the rows of booths. There was a cutout of the back wall, looking into the kitchen where the food came out. It was a fast food restaurant in disguise, made to fool high school students into thinking that they were affording a meal at a steakhouse.

There was something different today, however. The restaurant was quiet and empty. There was only one other person (besides the waiter and kitchen staff at the back), and it was the person who asked her out: Sagara Yosuke.

"You have fifteen minutes, starting now," Misaki said, sliding into the booth on the other side. When the waiter came over, she waved him away. "What do you want?"

"You used to be so sweet with your words, now you bare your fangs at me every time we meet."

"Fifteen minutes is not a lot of time."

"I...would like to apologise," Yosuke said, straightening his body. "For everything that I did."

Her chest tightened at what Yosuke was saying. Thirteen years ago, she fell deeply in love with him and he broke her heart into so many pieces that she never finished picking them up. He destroyed her trust in people too. She never placed her trust in anyone else but herself after Yosuke, not even Minato. Though, the reason why her hatred for Yosuke ran so deep was not because he betrayed her, but because he never thought he betrayed her. How could he betray someone who never mattered in the first place?

"And I would like your help with something."

Yosuke placed a folder on the table and slid it over to her side. The curious cat in her could not resist and she opened the folder. As she flipped through the pages, Misaki realised what he just handed her. There were about twenty pages in the folder, all filled to the brink with secrets. She knew many of the names on there, but she did not know the secrets. There were affairs, embezzlement, and even sketchier things that were most definitely illegal. And they all came with evidences.

She was confused, however, as to why Yosuke was giving this to her. Was this gift to make up for what happened? If so, why would he gift her information that she had no interest in? She could always hand it over to her father to try and gain his favour but Yosuke of all people should know that Misaki would never go down that road.

"I know you're not the type to partake in gossip but have you seen the articles relating to Matsuoka Haruka and Ichinomiya Eisuke?"

"Secretary who slept with her boss? Not the first time something like this has happened."

"Except, it didn't. And the tabloids are making a bigger deal out of it than it appears to be. They are pestering her every day, and literally published her entire life for all to see. Her sisters are being harassed at school. I know the Kanemoto Corporations own a few of the publishers, or they have a hand in them one way or another. It shouldn't be hard for you to pick something from this folder for them to publish to cover-"

"No."

Here Misaki was, thinking Yosuke was a changed man. Every time she thought perhaps he was different to who he was thirteen years ago, she was proven wrong. He went through the efforts of inviting her out, and apologised for something he never believed he did. All so she would forgive him and help cover up some tabloid headlines for another woman. If she felt something for him, she would be heartbroken once again. Fortunately, she did not.

Although his fifteen minutes were not up, Misaki stood and exited the booth. She did not want to spend another second in his presence. Just like her father, Yosuke treated her like nothing more than a tool. A handy Kanemoto to keep in his pocket to bring out whenever it was convenient.

Getting up onto his feet the second she did, Yosuke grabbed Misaki by the wrist. "Misa, wait!"

He was met with a slap instead. He deserved that, Yosuke knew. He deserved a slap, and more. If there was one thing Misaki hated more than her father and her name, it was being used. All her life, she was nothing but a puppet to her father. A chess piece that moved only when he told her to. That was how everyone else around her acted too. The Kanemoto siblings lived their lives where they only mattered when there was some profit and benefit involved.

Misaki deserved much better than her father and Yosuke.

"Please, Misa."

"Did you even mean that apology?" she asked, looking into his eyes for answers. "Do you even know what you did to me, Sagara Yosuke? You broke me. You _broke_ me. And you have the audacity to come and ask me for help? There is no one in the world I hate more than you, Sagara Yosuke."


End file.
